|
Berachampa (Bengali: বেড়াচাঁপা, pronounced as: Be-ra-cha-pa) is a small town on the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal, in eastern India. The town is roughly between the towns of Barasat and Basirhat, approximately 34 kilometres (21 miles) from Kolkata. The town is a trade center for goods such as rice, legumes, Jute, sugar cane, potatoes and coconuts. This town is also famous for business of live stocks. Cotton weaving and Jute Marketing is common in Berachampa, along with metalworking. Near Berachampa, there is the ancient archaeological site of Chandraketugarh, circa 300 BC. Many busy roads pass close to or through the town; State Highway 2 (SH2) and the Taki road (which connects Barasat and Basirhat) both pass through Berachampa. Haroa Road (connecting Berachampa and Newtown), Prithiba Road and Baduria Road (connecting Berachampa with Baduria) are other important roads. ==History== Near Berachampa, there is the archeological site of Chandraketugarh, thought to be a part of the ancient kingdom Gangaridai that was first described by Ptolemy. The history of Chandraketugarh dates back to almost the 3rd century BC, during the pre-Mauryan era. Artefacts suggest that the site was continuously inhabited and flourished through the Shunga-Kushana period, onwards through the Gupta period and finally into the Pala-Sena period. Archaeological studies suggest that Chandraketugarh was an important town and a port city. It had a high encircling wall complete with a rampart and moat. The residents were involved in various crafts and mercantile activities. Although the religious inclinations of the people are unclear, hints of the beginning of some future cults can be seen in the artefacts. Some of the potteries carry inscriptions in Kharoshthi and Brahmi scripts. After these periods, there was no such example of any other civilization on the ruin of Chandraketugarh. Anyway, the history of Berachampa was same as the History of Bengal. The Deva Kingdom, Ilyas Shahi dynasty, Ganesha dynasty and Hussain Shahi dynasty ruled this region finally before Mughal period started. Chandraketugarh features many examples of terracotta art, displaying an unusual degree of precision and craftsmanship. These plaques are comparable to those found at other better-known sites such as Kaushambi and Ahichhatra. The terracotta plaques from these sites often carry similar motifs executed in nearly identical fashion. This similarity suggests an established communication link and common cultural heritage among these sites. A large number of silver punch-marked coins and a few gold coins have been unearthed from Chandraketugarh, including a gold coin of Chandragupta-Kumardevi. A large number of semi-precious stone beads were also found here, along with items made of ivory and bone. Even a few wooden objects have survived. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Berachampa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|